Ranger:Race
Player's Handbook Dragonborn — The +2 Str is great for any melee character, and the dragon breath power allows you to deal with minions as well as slip in a little extra damage. +2 Cha and an incentive for strong Con are pretty meh, though. Average. 3'''/5. '''Dwarf — +2 Con is OK, +2 Wis is good, the ability to use second wind as a minor action is awesome (especially for a striker—hit points are not your forté). A bit above-average. 3.5/5. Eladrin — +2 Dex and an extra skill are pretty cool; +2 Int is a waste; and teleportation is OK. They get a lot of racial support as rangers, though, and that does count for something. 4/5. Elf — +2 Dex and +2 Wis, applicable skill bonuses, high move speed, and a great racial power. Arguably the best archer ranger race, and strong contenders elsewhere. 5'''/5. '''Half-Elf — +2 Con is OK; +2 Cha is useless; but dilettante can be very interesting, especially if your main ability score is Str. Average overall. 3/5. Halfling — +2 Dex is nice; forcing enemies to reroll is nice; +2 Cha is useless; and smaller weapons downright hurt. Overall average, but it's worth noting that they can be as good a scimitar dancing storm warden as any other race without a Str bonus. 3/5. Human — The floating +2 bonus and the +1 bonus to all non-AC defenses (NADs) is nice, the extra skill and feat are sweet, and the bonus at-will power's mileage may vary. Overall, a good choice. 4'''/5. '''Tiefling — This race basically pigeon-holes you into using flaming weapons for maximum capacity, which takes away from the goodies a ranger can have in his weapons slot. 2/5. '' Monster Manual'' Bugbear — +2 Str, +2 Dex means you can be any ranger you want to be and be good at it. Oversized weapons and a racial power for more damage only sweeten the deal. 5'''/5. '''Doppelganger — Skip it, it gives you nothing. 1'''/5 '''Githyanki — Not as bad as doppelgangers are, but still bad. +2 Con and the Initiative boost are nice, but it ends there. 2/5 Githzerai — +2 Dex, +2 Wis, and both skill boosts are applicable! Great bow rangers and decent dual weapon, but not as good as elves at either. 4.5/5. Gnome — The only thing worth noting here is that if you get hit, you disappear. Not enough to justify this as a contender. 1.5/5 Goblin — More or less the same as halflings, but their racial power is nice; if a melee enemy misses you, you can shift. If you're ranged, this means you can shift away so you can move on your turn without taking an opportunity attack. If you're melee, you can better position yourself (or set yourself up to move away to another target). Ranged characters will suffer from being limited to small weapons, but melee characters can use scimitar dance to make up for being small. 3/5. Hobgoblin — Nothing bad, but nothing amazing or relevant. 2'''/5. '''Kobold — +2 Dex and +2 Con are pretty good, and shifty is great. Being Small hurts, though; again, scimitar dance is a good option to consider. 3/5. Orc — +2 Str and +2 Con are nice, as is self-healing. A strong two-weapon candidate. 4'''/5. '''Shadar-kai — Weaker than eladrin due to the lack of racial support. 2'''/5. '''Longtooth Shifter — +2 Str and +2 Wis, and relevant skill bonuses. Also a cool/helpful power. Awesome for Two-Weapon Rangers, and could make a passable Archer. 5/5. Razorclaw Shifter '''— +2 Dex and +2 Wis, relevant skill bonuses. Also a cool/helpful power. Great for bow guys (not as good as Elves though), ok for melee. '''4.5/5. '' Manual of the Planes'' Bladeling — With a +2 Dex and +2 Wis, Bladelings make great bow rangers. Unfortunately the rest of their racial abilities aren't amazingly useful for a bow ranger. Overall this race is a 4'/5. ''Forgotten Realms Player's Guide '''Drow — Despite whatever Drizz't has going for him, this race is not amazing for melee rangers. With the Dex boost, however, they can make good ranged rangers; they have some racial feats that improve crossbows and their cloud of darkness ability is very useful for getting out of a tight spot and punishing those who put them in it. 4/5. Genasi — The Str boost is nice but the Int is wasted. Luckily they get bonuses to ranger skills, and their racial powers are helpful to a ranger. Overall a 4'/5. '' Dragon Magazine '''Minotaur (#369): Str and Con, skills are helpful. Some nice melee-based powers, and good racial support. 4'''/5. '''Gnoll: Dex and Con, high speed, helpful skills, and a power for mostly melee rangers. A solid choice overall. 4'''/5. '''Warforged (#364): Str and Con are nice, so are the skills and power. Pretty strong overall. 4/5.